Friday, 19 February 2016

Well a couple of weeks ago we at the club had a Spanish Civil War game. But I did not take ant photographs so I had to wait intil this aircraft had been shown on the Analogue Painting challenge.

Let me first talk about the aircraft. This is my only aircraft (so far) for the 10mm SCW armies I have. Mostly because they are just so fiendishly hard to acquire the right aircraft in the right scale or this conflict, but also because they do not figure so much in many of the battles. Yes I do know about the bombing of Guernica. But generally most battles not so much! Anyway this is a 1/200th (10mm) scale Zvesda kit of a Ju 52. Painted in civil livery of the period the aircraft did see extensive service in WW2 in military use. The kit went together perfectly, no problems at all. Seldom do you get such good kits. Yes I grant you that it is small and only about 18 parts but still it was a joy to build. Only the 2nd Zvesda kit I have built but they have both been very good indeed.

Back to the battle. (No the plane was not used.) We did use a slightly modified version of my own 1 page rules and they worked well. There had been a few tweaks from last time but as rules they work well for a fun uncompetitive type game.

I say uncompetitive and this is the twist. I set an overall objective and give a single random objective to each player. Which are not revealed until the end. There are a total of 30 objectives, and if players choose they may take a second secret objective. And the objectives will give (OR TAKE AWWAY) victory points. From the player with the card. And you just don't know until the card is drawn. Quite often they are contradictory to the main objective, or your allies or even each other. It is all the luck of the draw.

In This Game one player had to take a set building and not advance beyond it. Another player had to use a certain Phrase to insult an ally, yet another player had to suffer less casualties than any of their allies. One of the Objective cards is -10 Victory points just because the Ref (me ) is having a bad day and someone else has to suffer as well. These cards worked really well.

In so many wargames it is a case of lining up troops against each other and fighting head on. With this set up you just do not know how your allies will react. This creates a level of doubt and it is entirely possible to lose the battle and yet come out as the winner on the day.

And Below are the results of the day's Game.

Defenders
Peter +41 VP
Richard -18 VP

Attacking
Graham +15 VP
Matt -10 VP
Tim -13 VP

Victory Points are a combination of Overall objective, The Number of bases you loose, the number of bases you kill, and the secret objectives.

Overall it was a Defenders victory on the battle field and for Peter in particular as he overwhelmingly achieved his secondary objectives while taking less casualties and allowing Richard to soak up as many casualties as he could. Which meant that Richards 3 Platoons were all but whipped out. But this was because Peters secret objectives were to ensure that he took the least casualties in the battle. the result was while Richard was feeling supported Peter never had to push for an advance on the battle field. While Graham failed to complete his secret mission yet did inflict a substantial amount of casualties. Tim did complete 1 secret objective and with his second secret objective being that he would loose victory points every time ANYONE on his side fired artillery, he did also loose an armoured car and 2 Tankettes (fled from the table) Withdrew from the table in poor Order.

Wednesday, 17 February 2016

Well here are a few more figure that I have painted for the Analogue painting challenge.

You may(or may not recognise them). I would have posted them a few weeks ago but then the very talented Michael A painted them and did a better job of them and I just did not want the direct comparison. But If you want to see how they should be painted and not how I managed just clink the link I promise it does not send you to a penile erectile dysfunction web site in a pique of spite. (LINK). But If it does it serves you right!

I have included a couple of work in progress photos, just because they were taken and it seems a shame not to pad the post out a little!

It may surprise you all to know I have never watched Blackadder! I really am expecting to be vilified for saying that but As the "Young ones" were banned by my parents as I grew up Blackadder fell in the same category and was never watched either. Do not bother telling me it is not the same, my respect for my parents even though I am over 50 years old is such that I just will not watch it no matter what you say.

I do not, of course, blame anyone else for watching it just that it is not for me. And I hope you will respect me enough not to try to coax me into watching it in a peer pressure moment! Soap box well and truly stepped off of. All the best Clint

Sunday, 14 February 2016

There was a bonus round on the Analogue hobbies painting challenge (AHPC) called "defensive terrain". As I have decided NOT to spend any money on new figures for the challenge, but just to slowly reduce the lead mountain I was a bit stuck as to what to do for Defensive terrain. And being a cheapskate I decided that I would actually make some tunnel entrance markers for my Vietnam collection. 2 MDF round bases with rectangular tunnel entrances painted black. And yes they are hard to see deliberately. Then just painted to look like all my other Vietnam bases. So just some very simple indicators of where the tunnel entrances may be. I will not actually be building the tunnels so I only need a marker for the entrance, As you can see in the first picture they are quite small and very well disguised as the lady in question holds a trap door over her head and once in place would be very hard to tell from the jungle floor.

But some were found and the US army had a specialist unit (which I will not be representing on the battlefield) of "Tunnel Rats". The Latin motto is in no way rude and does not include Rat or arse in it WHEN translated. But I will leave it to you to translate.

On a side note I have really struggled with Blogger today to the extent I was about to start the whole blog again. But luckily some luck and a little patience has seen it restored back to how it should be. Morale of the last paragraph is do not click buttons too fast! But Panic over and "Normal service is restored!"